Changing antibiotic susceptibilities of communityacquired uropathogens in Greece, 2005e2010

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1 Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection (2013) 46, 202e209 Available online at journal homepage: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Changing antibiotic susceptibilities of communityacquired uropathogens in Greece, 2005e2010 Sofia Maraki a, *, Elpis Mantadakis b, Lambros Michailidis b, George Samonis c a Department of Clinical Microbiology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece b Department of Pediatrics, Democritus University of Thrace Medical School and University General District Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Thrace, Greece c Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Unit, University of Crete Medical School, Heraklion, Crete, Greece Received 16 February 2012; received in revised form 13 April 2012; accepted 23 May 2012 KEYWORDS Adults; Antibiotic resistance; Community-acquired; ESBL; Urinary tract infections Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution and changes in the antibiotic susceptibilities of uropathogens isolated from adults with community-acquired urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs) in Crete, Greece, over a 6-year period. Methods: This study was performed with isolates from outpatients with UTIs, collected between 2005 and Isolates were identified by standard methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method and the VITEK2 is an automated system used for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of microorganisms (BioMerieux). To identify changes in susceptibility patterns, we compared results of the period 2005e2007 to those of the period 2008e2010. We also compared the antibiotic susceptibilities of isolates between males and females. Results: A total of 4011 community-acquired uropathogens were isolated during the period of 2005e2010. Escherichia coli was the most common organism and responsible for 68.9% of CA- UTIs, followed by Proteus mirabilis (6.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.4%) and enterococci (6%). A significant increase in resistance of E coli isolates was noted for b-lactams, monobactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and cotrimoxazole. The reverse trend was evident for nitrofurantoin. Higher resistance rates of community-acquired E coli and non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae were noted in males for ampicillin, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and quinolones. No significant sex differences were noted in the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of enterococci. Conclusion: There is a concerning trend for increasing resistance among E coli and non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae responsible for CA-UTIs in Crete in recent years likely due to the * Corresponding author. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. address: sofiamaraki@in.gr (S. Maraki) /$36 Copyright ª 2012, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Antibiotic susceptibility of uropathogens 203 inappropriate use of broad spectrum antibiotics, as a substitute for precise diagnostics and/or to increase the chances of therapeutic success. Copyright ª 2012, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved. Introduction To optimize the use of empirical antibacterial therapy for community acquired urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs), physicians should know the etiology and susceptibility patterns of urinary pathogens in their community. Most CA-UTIs reflect episodes of acute, uncomplicated cystitis. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines for the treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis in women recommend the use of a 3-day course of cotrimoxazole as empiric first-line therapy except in communities with resistance rates exceeding 10%e20% to cotrimoxazole among uropathogens. 1 Although the relationship between antibiotic consumption and resistance is complex and some studies show no significant change in antimicrobial susceptibility over time, 2 increased antibiotic use and inappropriate use of newer broad spectrum antibiotics due to the fear of therapeutic failure with older agents, selects for resistant organisms, and antibiotic resistance is increasing among community-acquired urinary pathogens worldwide. 3e5 The University Hospital of Heraklion is the only tertiary hospital in the island of Crete, Greece, and serves a population of more than 700,000 people. In this study, we describe the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of community-acquired uropathogens that were isolated in the microbiology laboratory of this hospital over the period January 2005 to December Materials and methods Patients The patients of this study were adult (age >14 years) outpatients of both sexes diagnosed and treated for CA-UTIs in one of the several outpatient clinics of the University Hospital of Heraklion. A UTI was considered as community-acquired if the patient had not received intravenous therapy or specialized wound care, had not received hemodialysis treatment or antineoplastic chemotherapy within the 30 days prior to infection, was not hospitalized in an acute care center the last 90 days before diagnosis of UTI, and did not reside in a nursing home or long-term care facility. 6 Patients with urinary catheters were excluded, since by definition they were considered as having healthcare-associated or nosocomial UTIs. All urine samples were collected in the emergency room or in one of the outpatient clinics of the hospital. Duplicate positive urine cultures, i.e., cultures from the same episode of UTI were excluded. Laboratory methods Quantitative urine cultures were performed with standard techniques using Columbia blood and MacConkey agar plates (BioMérieux, Marcy l Etoile, France). 7 Plates were incubated for 18e24 hours at 36 C. Isolate identification was done by standard biochemical methods, the API system, and the VITEK2 automated system (BioMérieux). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method and the VITEK2 automated system. The following antibiotics were tested against Gramnegative isolates: ampicillin, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (CA), ticarcillin, ticarcillin plus CA, piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cephalothin, cefoxitin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, imipenem, tobramycin, amikacin, gentamicin, netilmicin, tetracycline, colistin, cotrimoxazole, nitrofurantoin, nalidixic acid, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. Double-disk synergy test was used for preliminary classification of the isolates as extendedspectrum b-lactamase (ESBL) producers. The synergistic activity of CA with both ceftazidime and cefotaxime was confirmed by means of E-test special strips (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) containing ceftazidime/ceftazidime plus CA and cefotaxime/cefotaxime plus CA. 8 The following antibiotics were tested against enterococci: Ampicillin, ampicillin plus sulbactam, gentamicin [high level (HL) resistance], tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin. Quality control strains used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing included E coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, K pneumoniae ATCC (ESBL producer), and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC Results were interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) criteria. 8 Statistical analysis The proportion of resistant organisms was calculated by dividing the number of urinary isolates resistant to each antibiotic by the number of organisms that were tested against that antimicrobial agent. Intermediately resistant and resistant organisms were grouped together. To test for changes in the antibiotic susceptibilities of uropathogens over time, Fisher s exact test was used to compare the antibiotic susceptibilities of E coli, non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae, and Enterococcus spp. between the first (1/ /2007) and second half of the study period (1/ /2010), and between males and females. All tests were two-tailed and statistical significance was set at p values < Statistical analysis was performed by Graphpad Prism software (version 4, La Jolla, CA, USA). Results A total of 4011 uropathogens were isolated during the period of January 2005 to December 2010 from patients with CA-UTIs. The distribution of urinary pathogens by

3 204 S. Maraki et al. Table 1 Distribution of community-acquired uropathogens by study year (2005e2010) e2010 Escherichia coli 393 (70.6%) 468 (68.9%) 430 (70.6%) 400 (63.4%) 537 (71.6%) 534 (68%) 2762 (68.9%) Proteus mirabilis 34 (6.1%) 51 (7.5%) 34 (5.6%) 44 (7%) 57 (7.6%) 53 (6.8%) 273 (6.8%) Proteus vulgaris d 1 (0.2%) d 1 (0.2%) d d 2 (0.05%) Proteus penneri d 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) d d d 2 (0.05%) Klebsiella pneumoniae 21 (3.8%) 32 (4.7%) 32 (5.2%) 47 (7.4%) 46 (6.1%) 75 (9.6%) 253 (6.3%) Klebsiella oxytoca 2 (0.4%) 5 (0.7%) 3 (0.5%) 7 (1.1%) 2 (0.3%) 4 (0.5%) 23 (0.6%) Enterobacter spp. 12 (2.1%) 12 (1.8%) 14 (2.3%) 10 (1.5%) 8 (1.1%) 13 (1.7%) 69 (1.7%) Citrobacter spp. 7 (1.2%) 7 (1%) 12 (2%) 14 (2.2%) 9 (1.2%) 15 (1.9%) 64 (1.6%) Morganella morganii 2 (0.4%) 2 (0.3%) d d 4 (0.5%) 3 (0.4%) 11 (0.3%) Serratia spp. 2 (0.4%) d 2 (0.3%) d 1 (0.1%) 4 (0.5%) 9 (0.2%) Salmonella spp. d 2 (0.3%) d d d 1 (0.1%) 3 (0.07%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa 18 (3.2%) 15 (2.2%) 10 (1.6%) 19 (3%) 16 (2.1%) 11 (1.4%) 89 (2.2%) Other gram-negative 2 (0.4%) 3 (0.4%) 2 (0.3%) 3 (0.5%) 5 (0.7%) 1 (0.1%) 16 (0.4%) nonfermenters Enterococcus faecalis 31 (5.6%) 42 (6.2%) 40 (6.5%) 43 (6.8%) 35 (4.7%) 38 (4.8%) 229 (5.7%) Enterococcus faecium 2 (0.4%) 2 (0.3%) 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) 4 (0.5%) 3 (0.4%) 13 (0.3%) Streptococcus agalactiae 6 (1%) 13 (1.9%) 6 (1%) 17 (2.7%) 11 (1.5%) 12 (1.5%) 65 (1.6%) Streptococcus pyogenes d 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) d d 3 (0.07%) Staphylococcus aureus 3 (0.5%) 2 (0.3%) d 6 (1%) 1 (0.1%) d 12 (0.3%) Staphylococcus coag. negative 3 (0.5%) 5 (0.7%) 2 (0.3%) 4 (0.6%) 3 (0.4%) 3 (0.4%) 20 (0.5%) Staphylococcus saprophyticus 19 (3.4%) 15 (2.2%) 18 (3%) 14 (2.2%) 11 (1.5%) 15 (1.9%) 92 (2.3%) Corynebacterium spp. d d 1 (0.2%) d d d 1 (0.02%) Total study year is shown in Table 1. As expected, E coli was the most common organism and responsible for 68.9% of CA- UTIs in this study, followed by P mirabilis (6.8%), K pneumoniae (6.4%), and enterococci (6%, E faecalis 5.7%, E faecium 0.3%). As shown in Table 2, a significant increase in resistance of E coli isolates was noted between the two study periods for monobactams (aztreonam) and all b- lactam antibiotics tested except ticarcillin plus CA, a parenteral antibiotic that is available only for nosocomial use. The same was true for aminoglycosides with the exception of gentamicin in which the increased resistance rate over the second period did not reach statistical significance, and amikacin in which a borderline decrease in resistance in recent years was noted. Regarding quinolones, a significant increase in nonsusceptibility was noted during the second half of the study. Concerning cotrimoxazole, a commonly used antibiotic for uncomplicated CA- UTIs, a significant increase in resistance was noted from 20.2% during the years 2005e2007 to 24% during the period of 2008e2010 (p Z ). On the other hand, the reverse trend was evident for nitrofurantoin, an infrequently used antibiotic in Greece, in which the resistance rate dropped for 9.1% to 4.2% between the first and the second half of the study period. The only three non-b-lactam antibiotics for which no significant change in resistance was noted between the two study periods were imipenem, tetracycline and colistin. Regarding the other Enterobacteriaceae, no significant increase in resistance to ampicillin and amoxicillin plus CA was noted between the first and second half of the study period, but the resistance rates were high in both periods. A significant increase in resistance of these uropathogens was also noted against the antipseudomonal penicillins ticarcillin, ticarcillin plus CA, piperacillin, and piperacillin/tazobactam. The same trend of increased resistance was noted for all tested cephalosporins except cephalothin, a first generation cephalosporin and cefoxitin, a cephamycin often grouped with the second-generation cephalosporins. A significant increase in resistance of the other Enterobacteriaceae was noted against all tested aminoglycosides, cotrimoxazole and all tested quinolones except nalidixic acid and pefloxacin in which the increased resistance rates over the period 2008e2010 did not reach statistical significance. As was noted with E coli isolates, a decrease in resistance rates to nitrofurantoin of non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae was noted over the years 2008e2010. Moreover, the other Enterobacteriaceae were significantly less susceptible to aztreonam and imipenem in recent years. Regarding ESBL producing strains of Ecoli,a significant increase was noted between the first (22 of 1291, 1.7%) and second (51 of 1271, 3.5%) half of the study (p Z ). About ESBL producing strains of Klebsiella spp., an increase was noted between the two periods from 5.3% (5 of 95) in 2005e2007 to 12.3% (23 of 181, p Z ) in 2008e2010. Finally, three ESBL producing strains of Pmirabiliswere seen, all in the more recent years (two in 2009 and one in 2010). Regarding enterococci (E faecalis and E faecium), no significant changes in antibiotic resistance were noted between the two study periods for ampicillin with or without sulbactam, tetracycline, nitrofurantoin, and ciprofloxacin. On the other hand, gentamicin-hl resistance was substantially lower in recent years, while enterococci resistant to glycopeptides were noted only during the period 2005e2007.

4 Table 2 Antimicrobial agent Antibiotic susceptibilities by study year for E coli, non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococci 2005, n Z ,n Z ,n Z 430 E coli 2008,n Z ,n Z ,n Z e07 (A), n Z e10 (B), n Z 1471 Ampicillin 143 (36.4%) 150 (32.1%) 173 (40.2%) 151 (37.7%) 252 (46.9%) 212 (39.7%) 466 (36.1%) 615 (41.8%) Amoxicillin plus CA 57 (14.5%) 60 (12.8%) 57 (13.3%) 60 (15%) 115 (21.4%) 81 (15.2%) 174 (13.5%) 256 (17.4%) Ticarcillin 138 (35.1%) 146 (31.2%) 167 (38.8%) 139 (34.7%) 227 (42.3%) 203 (38%) 451 (34.9%) 569 (38.7%) Ticarcillin plus CA 81 (20.6%) 59 (12.6%) 86 (20%) 65 (16.2%) 129 (24%) 80 (15%) 226 (17.5%) 274 (18.6%) Piperacillin 122 (31%) 146 (31.2%) 164 (38.1%) 135 (33.7%) 224 (41.7%) 193 (36.1%) 432 (33.5%) 552 (37.5%) Piperacillin/ 17 (4.3%) 13 (2.8%) 15 (3.5%) 14 (3.5%) 41 (7.6%) 39 (7.3%) 45 (3.5%) 94 (6.4%) tazobactam Cephalothin 146 (37.2%) 159 (34%) 160 (37.2%) 117 (29.2%) 188 (35%) 146 (27.3%) 465 (36%) 451 (30.7%) Cefoxitin 7 (1.8%) 15 (3.2%) 15 (3.5%) 11 (2.7%) 27 (5%) 35 (6.6%) 37 (2.9%) 73 (5%) Cefuroxime 11 (2.8%) 21 (4.5%) 19 (4.4%) 20 (5%) 41 (7.6%) 44 (8.2%) 51 (4%) 105 (7.1%) Cefotaxime 7 (1.8%) 9 (1.9%) 7 (1.6%) 7 (1.7%) 24 (4.5%) 21 (3.9%) 23 (1.8%) 52 (3.5%) Ceftriaxone 7 (1.8%) 9 (1.9%) 7 (1.6%) 7 (1.7%) 24 (4.5%) 21 (3.9%) 23 (1.8%) 52 (3.5%) Ceftazidime 7 (1.8%) 9 (1.9%) 7 (1.6%) 7 (1.7%) 24 (4.5%) 21 (3.9%) 23 (1.8%) 52 (3.5%) Cefepime 7 (1.8%) 9 (1.9%) 7 (1.6%) 7 (1.7%) 24 (4.5%) 21 (3.9%) 23 (1.8%) 52 (3.5%) Imipenem 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (0.2%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (0.1%) 1 Aztreonam 7 (1.8%) 9 (1.9%) 7 (1.6%) 7 (1.7%) 24 (4.5%) 21 (3.9%) 23 (1.8%) 52 (3.5%) Tobramycin 11 (2.8%) 4 (0.8%) 16 (3.7%) 9 (2.3%) 31 (5.8%) 32 (6%) 31 (2.4%) 72 (4.9%) Amikacin 17 (4.3%) 21 (4.5%) 9 (2.1%) 5 (1.3%) 16 (3%) 14 (2.6%) 47 (3.6%) 35 (2.4%) Gentamicin 16 (4.1%) 13 (2.8%) 14 (3.2%) 10 (2.5%) 28 (5.2%) 27 (5.1%) 43 (3.3%) 65 (4.4%) Netilmicin 7 (1.8%) 3 (0.6%) 14 (3.2%) 9 (2.3%) 29 (5.4%) 26 (4.9%) 24 (1.9%) 64 (4.4%) Tetracycline 85 (21.6%) 116 (24.8%) 102 (23.7%) 101 (25.3%) 148 (27.6%) 116 (21.7%) 303 (23.5%) 365 (24.8%) Colistin 1 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) 0 (0%) 1 (0.3%) 0 (0%) 1 (0.2%) 2 (0.2%) 2 (0.1%) Cotrimoxazole 78 (19.8%) 91 (19.4%) 92 (21.4%) 85 (21.3%) 143 (26.6%) 125 (23.4%) 261 (20.2%) 353 (24%) Nitrofurantoin 51 (13%) 46 (9.8%) 21 (4.9%) 17 (4.3%) 25 (4.7%) 20 (3.7%) 118 (9.1%) 62 (4.2%) Nalidixic acid 22 (5.6%) 39 (8.3%) 50 (11.6%) 34 (8.5%) 84 (15.6%) 67 (12.5%) 111 (8.6%) 185 (12.6%) Pefloxacin 20 (5.1%) 33 (7%) 40 (9.3%) 32 (8%) 68 (12.7%) 54 (10.1%) 93 (7.2%) 154 (10.5%) Ofloxacin 15 (3.8%) 26 (5.5%) 33 (7.7%) 24 (6%) 56 (10.4%) 50 (9.4%) 74 (5.7%) 130 (8.8%) Norfloxacin 17 (4.3%) 26 (5.5%) 33 (7.7%) 26 (6.5%) 57 (10.6%) 53 (9.9%) 76 (5.9%) 136 (9.2%) Ciprofloxacin 16 (4.1%) 25 (5.3%) 33 (7.7%) 24 (6%) 53 (9.9%) 52 (9.7%) 74 (5.7%) 129 (8.8%) Non-E coli Enterobacteriaceae Antimicrobial agent 2005, n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z e07 (A), n Z e10 (B), n Z 417 p value A vs. B p value A vs. B Ampicillin 55 (68.7%) 81 (71.1%) 26 (26.5%) 94 (77%) 97 (76.4%) 35 (20.8%) 162 (55.5%) 226 (54.2%) Amoxicillin plus CA 24 (30%) 23 (20.2%) 22 (22.4%) 27 (22.1%) 43 (33.9%) 51 (30.4%) 69 (23.6%) 121 (29%) Ticarcillin 41 (51.2%) 67 (58.8%) 59 (60.2%) 83 (68%) 89 (70.1%) 115 (68.5%) 167 (57.2%) 287 (68.8%) Ticarcillin plus CA 11 (13.7%) 11 (9.6%) 13 (13.3%) 18 (14.7%) 29 (22.8%) 30 (17.9%) 35 (12%) 77 (18.5%) Piperacillin 34 (42.5%) 64 (56.1%) 55 (56.1%) 83 (68%) 86 (67.7%) 112 (66.7%) 153 (52.4%) 281 (67.4%) (continued on next page) Antibiotic susceptibility of uropathogens 205

5 Table 2 (continued) Antimicrobial agent 2005, n Z , n Z , n Z 98 Non-E coli Enterobacteriaceae 2008, n Z , n Z , n Z e07 (A), n Z e10 (B), n Z 417 Piperacillin/ 5 (6.2%) 8 (7%) 6 (6.1%) 14 (11.5%) 22 (17.3%) 24 (14.3%) 19 (6.5%) 60(14.4%) tazobactam Cephalothin 26 (32.5%) 34 (29.8%) 28 (28.6%) 35 (28.7%) 43 (33.8%) 55 (32.7%) 88 (30.1%) 133 (31.9%) Cefoxitin 18 (22.5%) 18 (15.8%) 23 (23.5%) 22 (18%) 30 (23.6%) 44 (26.2%) 59 (20.2%) 96 (23%) Cefuroxime 12 (15%) 15 (13.2%) 14 (14.3%) 20 (16.4%) 29 (22.8%) 39 (23.2%) 41 (14%) 88 (21.1%) Cefotaxime 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 21 (16.5%) 20 (11.9%) 15 (5.1%) 52 (12.5%) Ceftriaxone 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 21 (16.5%) 20 (11.9%) 15 (5.1%) 52 (12.5%) Ceftazidime 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 21 (16.5%) 20 (11.9%) 15 (5.1%) 52 (12.5%) Cefepime 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 21 (16.5%) 20 (11.9%) 15 (5.1%) 52 (12.5%) Imipenem 0 (0%) 1 (0.9%) 0 (0%) 8 (6.6%) 7 (5.5%) 5 (3%) 1 (0.3%) 20 (4.8%) Aztreonam 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 21 (16.5%) 20 (11.9%) 15 (5.1%) 52 (12.5%) Tobramycin 4 (5%) 7 (6.2%) 7 (7.1%) 12 (9.8%) 19 (15%) 19 (11.3%) 18 (6.2%) 50 (12%) Amikacin 5 (6.2%) 3 (2.6%) 7 (7.1%) 10 (8.2%) 17 (13.4%) 19 (11.3%) 15 (5.1%) 46 (11%) Gentamicin 3 (3.7%) 7 (6.2%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 16 (12.6%) 15 (8.9%) 17 (5.8%) 42(10.1%) Netilmicin 3 (3.7%) 5 (4.4%) 7 (7.1%) 11 (9%) 19 (15%) 19 (11.3%) 15 (5.1%) 49(11.8%) Tetracycline 41 (51.2%) 67 (58.8%) 46 (46.9%) 62 (50.8%) 74 (58.3%) 76 (45.2%) 154(52.7%) 212(50.8%) Colistin 38 (47.5%) 54 (47.4%) 38 (38.8%) 48 (39.3%) 62 (48.8%) 62 (36.9%) 130 (44.5%) 172 (41.2%) Cotrimoxazole 9 (11.2%) 18 (15.8%) 13 (13.3%) 19 (15.6%) 31 (24.4%) 35 (20.8%) 40 (13.7%) 85 (20.4%) Nitrofurantoin 69 (86.2%) 96 (84.2%) 76 (77.6%) 36 (29.5%) 101 (79.5%) 131 (78%) 241 (82.5%) 268 (64.3%) Nalidixic acid 6 (7.5%) 16 (14%) 22 (22.4%) 21 (17.2%) 27 (21.3%) 29 (17.3%) 44 (15.1%) 77 (18.5%) Pefloxacin 6 (7.5%) 10 (8.8%) 12 (12.2%) 14 (11.5%) 22 (17.3%) 22 (13.1%) 28 (9.6%) 58 (13.9%) Ofloxacin 4 (5%) 9 (7.9%) 6 (6.1%) 10 (8.2%) 16 (12.6%) 21 (12.5%) 19 (6.5%) 47 (11.3%) Norfloxacin 4 (5%) 6 (5.3%) 7 (7.1%) 8 (6.6%) 16 (12.6%) 22 (13.1%) 17 (5.8%) 46 (11%) Ciprofloxacin 4 (5%) 10 (8.8%) 6 (6.1%) 11 (9%) 16 (12.6%) 21 (12.5%) 20 (6.8%) 48 (11.5%) Enterococcus spp. Antimicrobial agent 2005, n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z , n Z e07 (A), n Z e10 (B), n Z 124 Ampicillin 7 (21.2%) 8 (18.2%) 6 (14.6%) 7 (15.9%) 12(30.8%) 9 (22%) 21 (17.8%) 28 (22.6%) Ampicillin plus 7 (21.2%) 8 (18.2%) 6 (14.6%) 7 (15.9%) 12 (30.8%) 9 (22%) 21 (17.8%) 28 (22.6%) sulbactam Gentamicin (HL 6 (18.2%) 12 (27.3% 19(46.3% 11 (25%) 7 (17.9%) 5(12.2%) 37 (31.4%) 23 (18.5%) resistance) Tetracycline 23 (69.7%) 27 (61.4%) 30 (73.2%) 35 (79.5%) 27 (69.2%) 27 (65.9%) 80 (67.8%) 89 (71.8%) Nitrofurantoin 2 (6%) 3 (6.8%) 2 (4.9%) 3 (6.8%) 3 (7.7%) 3 (7.3%) 7 (5.9%) 9 (7.3%) Ciprofloxacin 30 (90.9%) 39 (88.6%) 40 (97.6%) 44 (100%) 39 (100%) 37 (90.2%) 109 (92.4%) 120 (96.8%) Vancomycin 3 (9.1%) 0 1 (2.4%) (3.4%) Teicoplanin 3 (9.1%) 0 1 (2.4%) (3.4%) CA Z clavulanic acid; HL Z high level. p value A vs. B p value A vs. B 206 S. Maraki et al.

6 Antibiotic susceptibility of uropathogens 207 Regarding sex differences in the antibiotic susceptibilities, much higher resistance rates of community-acquired E coli were seen in males for ampicillin, amoxicillin plus CA, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and quinolones and borderline higher resistance rates for nitrofurantoin. Concerning the other non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae, the resistance rates were much higher in males for all tested antibiotics except nitrofurantoin. Finally, no significant sex differences were noted in the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of enterococci (Table 3). Discussion Although most antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance studies of urinary isolates focus on hospitalized patients, 9,10 it is becoming increasingly evident that nonsusceptibility to commonly used antibiotics is a problem not only for hospitalized but also for outpatients with UTIs. The most remarkable finding of our study is that a significant increase in resistance rates of E coli and other Enterobacteriaceae has occurred in Crete in recent years against most of the commonly used antibiotics for CA-UTIs, with the remarkable exception of nitrofurantoin. The successful treatment of CA-UTIs requires effective oral antibiotics that may be increasingly difficult to identify in case of resistant organisms. As clearly shown from our results, within a relatively short period of time, a substantial increase in the non-susceptibility rates of the Gram-negative community-acquired uropathogens to most antibiotics was noted. By contrast, susceptibility rates of enterococci appear to be relatively stable or decreasing in recent years. Increasing resistance of E coli, the main causative pathogen of CA-UTIs to ampicillin and to a lesser extent cotrimoxazole has been demonstrated in several parts of the world in urinary tract isolates obtained from patients visiting general practitioners. In such areas, fluoroquinolones are frequently prescribed for CA-UTIs. 3 Unfortunately, as shown by our results, approximately 9%e10% of E coli and 11%e18.5% of other Enterobacteriaceae responsible for UTIs in outpatients of our island are already resistant to fluoroquinolones, a worrisome observation. Fluoroquinolone resistance is increasingly common in Southern Europe, 3 while it remains particularly low in Scandinavia. In a study from Norway among 7302 E coli UTI isolates tested, only 1.2% were fluoroquinolone-resistant. 11 In a previous study from Greece, the non-susceptibility rate of E coli to ciprofloxacin was 2.2%. 12 In another Greek study, the proportion of community-acquired urinary isolates resistant to norfloxacin was 17.8% for males and 5.5% for females. 10 Higher antibiotic resistance rates in uropathogens isolated from males have also been described by others, likely due to the typically nonthreatening and uncomplicated nature of UTIs in females. 3,13 We did not formally study the reasons for this significant increase in resistance to fluoroquinolones, although this increase likely parallels the more widespread use of quinolones for community infections. Even though the Greek Drug Administration (EOF) requires culture-directed selection of fluoroquinolones for UTIs, it is clear that, in everyday clinical practice, many clinicians inappropriately circumvent these restrictions. Moreover, the ease of procuring antibiotics without a prescription in Greek pharmacies results in excessive and unreasonable use. CA-UTIs account for a substantial proportion of antibiotic consumption worldwide with important ecological and economic implications, while changes in antibiotic resistance rates have been observed to follow changes in prescription practices. 12 Since the completion of our study, we have intensified our efforts to educate the community physicians of our area about the proper use of antibiotics for CA-UTIs, emphasizing the need for culture-directed therapy and the need for restricted use of broad spectrum antibiotics, particularly quinolones. The Surveillance Network Database of the United States conducted a survey of antimicrobial susceptibilities of 103,223 bacterial isolates recovered from urine samples of female outpatients. 5 In this sex-specific study, resistance of E coli isolates to cotrimoxazole varied significantly according to geographic region, ranging from 22% in the western United States to 10% in the Northeast. In that study, rates of resistance to ampicillin ranged from 30% to 40% among E coli and non-e coli isolates nationwide, and although there was significant geographic variability in resistance to ampicillin, this was unacceptably high, i.e., > 25% throughout the country. 5 This was observed in our study as well among both E coli and non-e coli isolates, rendering ampicillin an inappropriate first line agent for patients with CA-UTIs. 5,14 The frequency of antimicrobial resistance of E coli isolates shows a consistent geographical gradient, being greater in Southern Europe, particularly Spain and Portugal than in Northern Europe. 3 For example, in Granada, Spain 37% of E coli strains were resistant to amoxicillin plus CA, 33% to cotrimoxazole, and 22% to ciprofloxacin. 15 Similar results have been published from nine Spanish regions during 2002 and E coli was the main pathogen in both years (73% vs. 68.3%) followed by P mirabilis (7.2% vs. 6.4%) and K pneumoniae (5.4% vs. 5.2%). Amoxicillin (58.2%e 58.7%), cotrimoxazole (30.8%e33.8%) and ciprofloxacin (22.6%e22.7%) showed the highest resistance rates, while fosfomycin (2.1%e2.8%) and nitrofurantoin (3.5%e5.7%) had the lowest resistance rates. 16 Unfortunately, we did not study the in vitro susceptibility of the uropathogens of our study to fosfomycin. In a French study of 1160 strains of community-acquired uropathogens, fosfomycin retained good activity against enterobacteriaceae. 17 The in vitro susceptibility of our E coli isolates to nitrofurantoin was high (resistance 4.2% in recent years). Hence, nitrofurantoin appears to be an excellent treatment option for uncomplicated cystitis in our region and clearly superior to cotrimoxazole, a drug in which 20.2% of our E coli isolates were resistant to it. Moreover, nitrofurantoin was the most effective oral agent against enterococcal isolates. By contrast, nitrofurantoin was not a good treatment option for non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae, such as P mirabilis, K pneumoniae, or P aeruginosa, something previously shown by others. 18 Nitrofurantoin has been shown to be a better empirical therapy for primary UTIs in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 19 Regarding options for oral therapy for non- E coli Gram-negative uropathogens in our area, these were essentially limited to fluoroquinolones, even though >

7 208 S. Maraki et al. Table 3 Antibiotic susceptibilities by sex and uropathogen for selected antimicrobials (E coli, other Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcus spp.) E coli Males (n Z 601) Females (n Z 2161) p value Antibiotics (%) (%) Ampicillin 276 (45.9) 805 (37.3) Amoxicillin plus CA 132 (22) 298 (13.8) < Cephalothin 219 (36.4) 697 (32.3) Cefoxitin 44 (7.3) 66 (3.1) < Ceftriaxone 32 (5.3) 43 (2.1) < Amikacin 29 (4.8) 53 (2.5) Cotrimoxazole 136 (22.6) 478 (22.1) Nitrofurantoin 50 (8.3) 130 (6.1) Ciprofloxacin 89 (14.8) 114 (5.3) < Other non-e coli Enterobacteriaceae Males (n Z 212) Females (n Z 496) p value Antibiotics (%) (%) Ampicillin 137 (64.6) 251 (50.6) Amoxicillin plus CA 73 (34.4) 117 (23.6) Cephalothin 85 (40.1) 136 (27.4) Cefoxitin 63 (29.7) 92 (18.5) Ceftriaxone 33 (15.6) 34 (6.9) Amikacin 33 (15.6) 28 (5.6) < Cotrimoxazole 56 (26.4) 69 (13.9) Nitrofurantoin 147 (69.3) 362 (72.9) Ciprofloxacin 35 (16.5) 33 (6.7) Enterococcus spp. Males (n Z 101) Females (n Z 141) p value Antibiotics (%) (%) Ampicillin 24 (23.8) 26 (18.4) Ampicillin plus sulbactam 24 (23.8) 26 (18.4) Gentamicin HL 29 (28.7) 31 (22) CA Z clavulanic acid; HL Z high level. 11% of these isolates were resistant to this class of antibiotics in recent years. The ECO$SENS II study determined the antimicrobial susceptibility of community-acquired E coli urinary isolates in unselected women aged 18e65 years over the years 2007e2008 and compared the results with those obtained in the ECO$SENS I study (1999e2000). 20 Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 150e200 E coli isolates per country to 14 antimicrobials was performed by disk diffusion using EUCAST breakpoints. With some exception, resistance to cefadroxil (representative of oral cephalosporins), nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, gentamicin and third-generation cephalosporins was < 2%. Resistance levels were higher for amoxicillin plus CA (2%e8.9%) and ciprofloxacin (0.5%e 7.6%) and much higher to ampicillin (21.2%e34.0%), and cotrimoxazole (14.4%e18.2%). Resistance to quinolones (nalidixic acid from 4.3% to 10.2%, ciprofloxacin from 1.1% to 3.9%) and trimethoprim (from 13.3% to 16.7%) increased between the ECO$SENS I and ECO$SENS II studies. 20 ESBLs are lactamases that confer bacterial resistance to b-lactam antibiotics and aztreonam. 6 We noted a significant increase in ESBL producing strains of Ecoli and Klebsiella spp. in recent years. ESBL production substantially complicates the treatment of CA-UTIs, ever since it severely limits the available therapeutic options. In a study from Turkey, 20.2% of Ecoliisolates produced ESBL. 13 ESBL production among UTI pathogens in the community has been described in Kuwait as well, 21 and for the first time in the recent ECO$SENS II study. 20 UTIs due to ESBL-producing Ecoliare emerging, even in countries with low antibiotic use like Switzerland. 6 Our study is limited by the fact that we did not collect antibiotic resistance data by age groups, e.g., patients 15e35, 35e55, or > 55 years of age, since previous studies have shown higher resistance rates in younger individuals. 10 Moreover, it is a single center study; hence our results may not be applicable to other areas of Crete. However, due to the tertiary nature of our hospital, we believe that our results are representative of the recent, true antimicrobial susceptibilities of community-acquired uropathogens in Crete, the largest Greek island. Finally, we did not study the antibiotic prescription patterns for CA-UTIs in our area, because the lack of automation in many of the local pharmacies makes such a study almost impossible to execute. Hence, we cannot prove our hypothesis that the increasing resistance among Enterobacteriaceae responsible for CA-UTIs in Crete in recent years is the result of inappropriate prescription practices, such as the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics including quinolones.

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